St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church was packed for the first concerts by the Freedom Gospel Choir last weekend.
For those who know the Cowichan choral music scene, the events were vintage Ann Antonides.
There’s been a lot of interest in the return of this well-known choir director and from the response of the overflow crowd, it was long overdue.
The show, entitled Freedom Bound, featured lots of her style of gospel songs, from Ipharadisi to I’ll Fly Away (to Glory) with stops along the way for such perennial favourites as His Eye Is on the Sparrow and Steal Away to Jesus.
According to the program, Antonides and her group are partnering with St. Andrew’s “to bring a vision of hope and freedom amidst times of desperate challenge.â€
We say it’s a welcome new light in the Valley’s music firmament and a delight to see such enthusiasm both onstage and in the audience.